The total number of horses killed during the Cheltenham Festival rose to nine yesterday, after Buck Whaley died in a fall during the County Hurdle, the final race of the meeting. Earlier, it had been confirmed that Sh Boom, a faller in the World Hurdle on Thursday, had died overnight as a result of his injuries.

Buck Whaley was trained by Jonjo O'Neill, from whose yard came two of the five horses killed on Thursday, Olaso and Millenaire. The total number of fatalities was just one fewer than the record total of 10 in 1996, when the meeting was run on unusually fast ground.

O'Neill missed the last two days of the Festival meeting with flu, but there was at least one positive moment for his yard yesterday when Black Jack Ketchum ran away with Brit Insurance Novice Hurdle.

It was quite a result for the punters, too, as Black Jack Ketchum started at even money, the shortest-priced favourite of the meeting. His victory, by nine lengths, was recorded with such ease that he has displaced My Way De Solzen, who won the World Hurdle on Thursday, as the favourite for that race next year.

"This is what we expected and there wasn't really any moment when we were worried," said Derrick Smith, whose wife Gay owns Black Jack Ketchum. "Everything went to plan, and we could go anywhere now." The victory for Black Jack Ketchum followed the success of another popular favourite, as Detroit City, a 7-2 chance, beat Fair Along in the Triumph Hurdle.

As he is a grey who runs in the colours of Terry Warner, Detroit City bears a striking resemblance to former champion hurdler Rooster Booster, but Philip Hobbs, his trainer, thinks he is unlikely to reach similar heights over timber.

"Apart from being grey, he's totally different to Rooster Booster," Hobbs said. "He already wants more than two miles, and he weighs a lot more. I can't see him being quick enough for the Champion next year, the World Hurdle or novice chasing would be more likely."

Tony McCoy's success on Black Jack Ketchum took him to the front in the race to be the top jockey at the meeting, but in the end it was Ruby Walsh who secured the prize with victory on Desert Quest in the County Hurdle. Nicky Henderson, who saddled Greenhope to win the Grand Annual yesterday, beat Paul Nicholls to the trainers' equivalent.